Our neighbors to the north are readying one heck of a welcome wagon next month, when some of Hollywood’s finest are set to hit the red carpet—and debut a movie or two—at the 2008 Toronto Film Festival.

Booked to appear, though not to premiere films, at the fest are Matt Damon, Josh Brolinand Julian Schnabel who, along with several other Industry vets, will appear on the fest’s Mavericks roster, giving informal talks throughout the week on their filmmaking experiences.

Claiming a bulk of the potentially appearing talent is the scheduled premiere of New York, I Love You, the follow-up to Paris, Je T’aime, a collection of 12 short films directed by Johansson and Portman, among others, and starring Orlando Bloom, Ethan Hawke, Shia LaBeouf and Christina Ricci.

Also making its North American premiere at the fest is Ethan and Joel Coen‘s Burn After Reading, starring a couple of little-known actors: George Clooneyand Pitt. The film will get its worldwide premiere at the Venice Film Festival, which Clooney is booked to attend, just days before Toronto.

Meanwhile, Beckinsale’s dramatic turn in Nothing But the Truth is also scheduled to premiere during the fest, with the actress playing a political reporter who is jailed for naming a CIA agent.

Norton, Farrell and Jon Voight will also grace the big screen during the week, appearing in the premiere of the cop-family drama Pride & Glory. Rounding out the politically minded films is The Lucky Ones, starring McAdams and Tim Robbins, following a group of returning U.S. soldiers who embark on a road trip.

Proving her absurd saturation of the market, a film about, though not starring, Paris Hilton, is also set to premiere at the festival. The documentary Paris, Not France, examines the pop culture phenom and is directed by Adria Petty.

Another documentary film that’s been added to the Contemporary World lineup is an as-yet unnamed biography chronicling the life of late Real World: San Francisco housemate Pedro Zamora. Showing in the same lineup is the comedy $5 a Day, starring Christopher Walken, Amanda Peetand Sharon Stone.

Rachel McAdams takes front and center in New York Times’ latest issue of T Magazine. The 31-year-old Canuck cutie has been out promoting her latest film, The Lucky Ones. The story revolves around three soldiers — Collee (McAdams), T.K. (Michael Pena) and Cheever (Tim Robbins) — who return from the Iraq War after suffering injuries and learn that life has moved on without them. Here are a few excepts from Rachel’s interview:

[Even though you wanted to become an actress,] you still stayed in Canada instead of jetting off to L.A. or New York. [Why?] I had a small-town life — I worked at the local McDonald’s for three years. I’m not sure why they kept me: I am something of a daydreamer and a dawdler, so they would only let me be the ‘‘friendly voice’’ that greeted you when you entered the restaurant. I was slow — I would be organizing the sweet-and-sour packets in the customer’s takeout bag while the line snaked out the door. Even at a fast-food restaurant, I wanted everything just so.

Do you like to audition? I love auditioning. Since ‘‘The Notebook’’ and ‘‘Wedding Crashers,’’ I don’t have to audition anymore, and I miss it. You get to show your interpretation of the character. I get nervous when I don’t audition. What if they hate what I want to do? I also like screen tests, where they put you in a room with your male co-star. They want to see if the two of you have chemistry together. There’s something wonderfully old-fashioned about a chemistry test. During a movie, chemistry is so important, and yet they just assume actors can fake their way through it. That doesn’t always work.

In ‘‘The Notebook,’’ you and Ryan Gosling had amazing chemistry. Are love scenes difficult? They’re strange. A kiss with anyone, on or off camera, can be intimidating. I’ve been kissing for nearly two decades now, and I’m always convinced I’m not doing it right. Chemistry is so important in a great kiss. You can act your way through anything, but it’s hard with a kiss. It’s much better if there’s an attraction.

It’s not easy making love in Hollywood — at least not in front of movie cameras.

Actors Leonardo DiCaprio, 33, and Kate Winslet, 32, had a lovemaking scene in the upcoming drama “Revolutionary Road,” which was directed by Winslet’s husband, Sam Mendes. Winslet said filming the scene took some adjustment.

“And Leo was like, ‘Oh get over it.’ And I’m going, ‘Yeah, a little reminder: You’re my best friend. He’s my husband. This is a bit weird,” Winslet told the magazine.

For DiCaprio and Winslet, the sex scene was a reprise of sorts, because they had some steamy on screen lovemaking together in the 1997 blockbuster hit “Titanic.”

Actress Rachel McAdams, 31, the Canadian-born star of “The Notebook” and “Mean Girls,” took a similar position on love scenes in an interview with the New York Times publication T Magazine.

“A kiss with anyone, on or off camera, can be intimidating,” McAdams said in the interview, which was featured on the magazine’s Web site on Friday.

“I’ve been kissing for nearly two decades now and I’m always convinced I’m not doing it right. Chemistry is so important in a great kiss. You can act your way through anything, but it’s hard with a kiss.”

The lovely Rachel McAdams has returned! The Hollywood golden girl has been decidedly absent from the big screen after gigantic hits like Mean Girls, The Notebook and Red Eye shot her to stardom in 2004 and 2005. Taking a step back from the spotlight was a risk, but it just goes to show that McAdams is not slave to Hollywood. She’ll take things at her own pace, make her own decisions, and come out better in the long run. This month, she reenters the movies with a reinvigorated turn in the new mature relationship drama Married Life.

“The break was really great,” she says. “Married Life—I felt really inspired working with [director] Ira [Sachs]. He was very gentle and very kind and very supportive and I just felt reignited. Sometimes after a project you’re just completely spent but I was just ready to do more after this experience.”

McAdams enters a room with the same grace, poise, and romantic spirit we have come to know through her films. She’s soft-spoken and gracious, proud of her Canadian heritage, and genuinely excited to work on projects that inspire her. With her newly shortened, brown hair pinned up in loose curls, a stylish little-black-dress and a phenomenal pair of strappy heels, McAdams seems ready to once again take the movie industry by storm.

Her current look is almost completely opposite from the platinum blonde woman of the 1940’s she plays in Married Life. Kay is a young widow who finds herself torn between two older men—Harry (Chris Cooper), a smitten married man, and Richard (Pierce Brosnan), a fun-loving cad who also happens to be Harry’s best friend.

Awaiting Music Video Release

Rachel is featured on Daniel Romano's song "Toulouse", which is featured on Romano's album "Mosey". It was announced last year that they also filmed a music video that will feature Rachel. (Official | Twitter)

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